Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-08-15

building. and Re&rly blinded him at
6rSt- Ii w&S Sn unsteady, pUlsStinE
light, % that sometimes the building
VS. light as dsy, Snd at Others as
dim IS twilight Tom was not sum
shout It, hut It seemed to him 70 be
= klnd q glow, 81 If each individual
. IN she Westinghouse. Snd Il wSS full
% figures, carried lantsrn beneath
hi$ cloak.
ION rubbed his ewes.
The wedding party i late, he
muttsred 70 himself, .'or has the
storm weather-bound them: l must
hSve been asleep
He rOuSed himself. and looked, in
a dazed way, s3soaEhlm-
Now I should have sworn" he
continued 10 himself. Il would have
sworn that the Reverend Francis
Yarrow had been dead these many
years, and yet that figure in the chan
Gel i marveIou<Iv Ike his Tom, old
boy.vou must Be particularly drunk :"
and Tom uuwittingly heaved sigh.
Of such depth and power thAt It ech-
Oed and reverberated through the
building Ike the breath Of mighty
wind which could Be heard above the
turmoil ot the storm outside.
The whole congregation turned and
faced him. while Tom. abashed. cow
cred deeper in his corner.
'->tand forth. Tom Babcoek :"
cried the voice Of the old minister in
the ehancel, and Tom stepped forth
with Ieer in lis face, and suspi-
ci0Qs trembling Of his limbs
The dark forms crowded around
him. and he grew more astonished.
for their faces were those OF friends
whom he had not seen for many
years One by one they came for
ward and shook hands with him, and
Tom noticed that the hands Of some
were burning hot 80 that his blood
seemed 10 glow Ike streams Of liquid
ire, and every particle OF his body
burned IS with s fever IS his hand
net theirs; while the hands OF 9TH
ers were 30 cold, that, IS they grasp
ed his. an lev shiver ran through his
frame, and the very marrow Of his
bones seemed freezing.
Their clothes, too, had 3 strange,
mustE look, and s queer, mOuldy
smell. and were partly rotten. and, in
many eases. had specks OF damp
earth upon them
Now I should have sworn, said
IN 2L'S47.-- -t-- ron we're al Had
That g0as died five years ago-and
gg4. three-and you. only six months
since
--Ha. Ia. ha = laughed the crowd !;
but their laughter had hollow. IN
natural sound that frightened Tom.
and he felt his courage departing
Mercy on Us cried an old. bent
crone.poking her weazened face close
into his-Tom always averred that
her breath smeIt ike the sulphur
matches for sale at the store .Mer-
cv on u has drunken Tom Babcock
come 10 join our congregation
Good lady" said Tom. now thor
oaghIy frightened, I would not in
terrupt your worship viii take
nv le4ye-
No no shouted the ghastly
forms We have long waited for q
jolly fellow Ike yourself. You must
Be baptized into our congregation =
..Ha. ha, ha - reared the voices,
and presto in : minute, Tom found
himself sitting in the baptisnal tank.
oh oh - whimpered Tom, trem-
bling partly with fright, partly with
cold. for he was ankIe-deep in water
that had remained there after the last
baptism: ..Oh. Oh oh -
Wine. vine for the baptism -
cried the voice Of the reverend and
venerable saint In the chancel.
Tom began to take courage at
these words
Il could drink this tank full before
/ got WARN again, ''he thought
There was = rumbIing noise outside,
and Tom locking snxiOusly down
the aisle saw two figures rolling q
cask towards the tank. He rubbed
his ewes with amazement, for he rec
Ognized the faces and figures Of two
boon companions, long since dead.
The old cronies nodded 70 him a.
they rolled the cask into the chancel,
and, sitting it On one end, burst in
IT, head To Toms horror, 3 sheet
q blue fame burst into the air.
The congregation broke into q
chant. weird and strange, to which
the thunder seemed 70 form an ac-
compartment, and the wind seemed
% be articaIating words, all strangely
blended IN ghostly harmony.
From the recesses of the chancel
the Old pastor produced q tin dipper.
Tom recognized Il a. the same dipper
that has hung, for many gears, al
TIE brink II tie well near his own
house, and ont Of which be had
qaenched his thirst that identical
morning He wondered how Il could
have strayed from IL accustomed
Place, bot grew glad that the wine
w4s 70 Be put into it. capaeioas bowl.
SoIemnly the Old pastor plunged il
into the eask, and drew il cut brimful
with the 6ery liquid.